Hey everyone,

It's been a little while since the last Devlog for NIRAVASI, which was mainly due to the fact that a lot of stuff happened in my personal life recently. But for anyone who didn't know this, I was helping my family out with something that weekend, as well as celebrating my 28th Birthday (Damn, I'm old). Afterwards, I received my 2nd COVID-19 vaccination jab, which also delayed things. So all-in-all, a lot of things all compounded themselves together, resulting in me not really being able to work on the game that much. But it's not all doom and gloom, for I've got a great announcement that I'll be talking about down below!

Lotus Blooming

So the biggest thing I want to get out of the way is that I've finally completed work on Lotulanda! That means if players were to get their hands on the game now, they'd be able to play over half the levels of the game in total (Tutorial, Old Hanirr, Stepwell of Dhara Hanirr, Ishani Bazaar and now Lotulanda). We've only got three more levels left (and some other goodies that I want to hold off on spoiling until a later date) until the game's in a state where I can seriously consider releasing it to the public! 

However, as I did for the previous demos, I want to make sure this newest demo won't have too many hiccups on release (especially like Ishani Bazaar's Crash Bug). Lotulanda has a LOT of corridors and rooms, so I'm sure there's bound to be a few sequence breaks here and there. I'm doing the best I can with cracking down on all of these, but I wouldn't surprised if some snuck their way through to the surface. Nevertheless, the level's 100% playable without major issue from start-to-finish, which makes me incredibly happy!

I'll talk about the new Demo release sometime later this week or the next, but take heart in knowing that you'll all be getting your hands on Lotulanda for testing (and appreciation) soon enough.

A New Look

Lotulanda isn't the only thing I've been working on for NIRAVASI. I've also taken the opportunity to give the game's Title Screen a complete overhaul, resulting in a much more satisfying look for the game's introduction. One of the biggest problems with RPG Maker games are the options you have to work with for everything involving title screen creation. Many RPG Maker games (old and new) tend to have rather mundane title screens, which is a real shame, as some of the games that are guilty of this end up being amazing experiences. Sure, I could've just taken things easy and just used the stock system like most other creators, but I felt that would be both insulting to the level of detail I've put into this game in other spots, as well as the players. As such, I went ahead and gave the Title Screen of NIRAVASI a brand new makeover.

I've also been batting around the idea of dynamically changing the game's Title Screen to reflect your progress in the game (you'd get new visuals for the Title Screen, depending on where you are in the story). It's still an incredibly rough idea though, so don't get your hopes up. Still, it does sound cool as hell though, doesn't it?

Aruvi & Beyond

As I mentioned before in previous Devlogs, the next level NIRAVASI players will encounter is a place called the Aruvi District. In times long past, it was among the wealthiest of places within the city, filled with ambitious individuals and aristocrats alike. However, following the destruction of Aetherius, the people of this place suffered terrible atrocities, resulting in the Aruvi District being left in ruins. Now, following AEON's control of the city, the Aruvi District continues to suffer by means of the excessive levels of rainwater caused by AEON's weather device. To find his missing crew, Mura will need to travel through the shattered ruins of the Aruvi District to find a way into AEON's Perfection Complex.

Gameplay-wise, the Aruvi District will involve travelling through broken buildings and navigating water-filled corridors in an attempt to find a way into the Perfection Complex. Unfortunately for you, AEON holds a much greater presence within this place as compared to other levels in the game. Aside from the other enemies you've had to face within the game, Mura must now deal with a brand new enemy type in the form of Lurkers, as well as AEON himself (who can actively keep watch over places where monitors are placed tactically. If you wish to survive the Aruvi District, you must make note of the environments around you (and perhaps use that to your advantage).

That about wraps it up for another Weekly Devlog for NIRAVASI. I should also mention that at this point, September is going to be an incredibly busy month for me. Budon't worry, as I'll still be doing my best to keep everyone informed on the game's development, as well as answer any questions you all may have (and any feedback you want to give). Until then, thank you for reading this Devlog and I look forward to talking to you all again soon.

Kind regards,
Angus (Sangos)